Argentina

No camping! That had been the key request. Mike wanted a comfy bed and hot shower at the end of a long day of hiking in Patagonia. I had always associated Torres del Paine in Chile with epic Patagonian hikes. Much to my dismay, I read that the best way to see those iconic rock spires was on multi-day treks. Then, with a little research, I leaned about El Chaltén, Argentina. This tiny town sits underneath the mother of Patagonia’s granite towers, Mount Fitz Roy. It’s a charmingly quirky place with an end-of-the-earth feel and plenty of accommodations to suit hikers of all budgets. Trailheads to the most amazing day hikes in Patagonia start right in town. Let me introduce you to a few of them.

We just got home from a month in South America: three weeks in Argentina, a 4-day jeep tour in southern Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, and a few days in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Yup, a whirlwind of greatest hits and a few off-the- beaten-path gems. This is the first in a series of posts about the natural wonders and cultures of these countries. I’m still on cloud nine thinking about all our amazing experiences. I’m going to start with the highlights of our travels in Argentina. They aren’t in any specific order, except perhaps the first one. Continue reading →